Throughout the play 'Antigone' there is a constant emphasis on the use and abuse of power.

Alexandra Spencer-Jones

U6 - Classical Civilisation

In ‘Antigone’, what views does Sophocles present of:

The use of power
The conflict between the state’s law and divine law
The position of women in society?

The Use and Abuse of Power

Throughout the play 'Antigone' there is a constant emphasis on the use and abuse of power. When the play begins Creon has just taken over as King of Thebes; it is literally his first day in power. At first he appears willing to listen to people as he summons his council. He says, "I have called you out of all my people...". He tells them, "For my part, I have always held the view that a King whose lips are sealed by fear, unwilling to seek advice is damned.". This sentiment is more than ironic in the light of his behaviour in the rest of the play. Later in the play, like Oedipus in the first of the Theban Plays, Oedipus Rex, Creon becomes very defensive when people try to give him advice. He accuses them of conspiring against him. When he first hears about Polynices being buried he thinks that there are "rebels, a band of men against his word and law."

Creon prides himself in being a good man and a responsible king. He rules his city with the contention that his law is the only law. Antigone may be stubborn, but Creon's motivation seems rooted in a lack of reason and desire to dominate. Indeed, Sophocles demonstrates the "sin of refusing to listen, and about a man who has never been told" (The True Tragedy - William Davies) supremely through Creon's character.

On many occasions Creon speaks of honour and the ideal of goodness overruling evil, "I am determined that never, if I can help it, shall evil triumph over good.". Yet he fails to identify the completely hypocritical aspect of his decisions, to defy the laws of the god, in order to impose his laws, albeit in the cause of strengthening his city and protecting his subjects.

Creon does not understand that there is more to good leadership than having people intimidated into respect for him. For example, when the Sentry comes to tell him of the body being buried he threatens the soldier with death even though it is quite clear that he has played no part in the crime. He is angry, abrupt and most importantly desperately striving to be a strong leader. I feel that he confuses being a good leader with being a strong leader, he feels that if you are one then you are automatically the other. Part of his tragedy is that he will learn that this is not the case and that the two mean very different things.

Creon's law is fair in that he threatens a traitor with death only after giving them fair warning. He does not believe that it is his own niece who has gone against him. He treats his family like “subordinates”: in fact, on one occasion he uses the Greek word for ‘slave’ when speaking of them. When he is confronted by Haemon he asks him for his support. Haemon is not against his father, as he makes abundantly clear. He tells him that his only thoughts are for his father and his kingdom. But then, when he tells Creon that the people in the city think that Antigone’s actions are justified and that they will rightly regard her as a martyr, Creon asks him,

“Since when do I take my orders from the people of Thebes?”

This is in direct contrast to his previous claim about having an open ear to people and being willing to take advice. He uses an unfair argument and tells Haemon that he has a wider knowledge because of his age. This flaw in Creon’s argument becomes embarrassing for Creon when Haemon reminds him that it is wisdom and not age that makes a man.

It is towards the later stages of the play that Creon’s inability to hear and heed advice becomes increasingly evident. The Teiresias scene illustrates this flaw, when he offers advice to Creon. Despite his outreach, Creon insults Teiresias and neglects to listen to the sheer impact and foresight of his words. “You have given a son of your loins to death in payment for death.” Once again Creon is warned by the chorus that Teiresias’ words are not to be taken lightly: it is then that Creon finally steps down and adheres to the advice he has been given, “Now I believe, it is by the laws of heaven that man must live.”. This change of attitude arises because Creon believes that this is the best course of action for his city and for himself.

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The ignorance and stubbornness encountered through Antigone and Creon prove to be the greatest tragedy, as it is this that leads to their demise. Antigone’s self will, extreme devotion to her gods and family and her unflinching determination lead to suicide as a final climax that she believes will burden Creon’s existence, and glorify her morality and religious beliefs. It is Creon’s negligent nature that fails him. His greed for power and authority over his city confine his ability to see beyond his own thoughts and judgement. This is his ultimate sin, as it leaves him with a great deal of power and authority, yet this is meaningless when the love of family and regard of subjects are lost at the expense of gratification of man’s law, in conflict with the “unwritten, unalterable laws of heaven.”. While Creon has the expectation of his words to be carried out, it is his own words that have significant meaning, as they are words that literally capture his downfall.

Both Antigone and Creon are stubborn and true to what they believe in. Creon will not break his own laws for fear that he will become a hypocrite and traitor to himself. Antigone believes that she has to do what is right. The divine law. Antigone has inner strength and power. Enough power to throw away her life for “the greater good”.

Human Law Vs Divine Law

There is much conflict between Antigone and Creon throughout the play, both of them having their own ideas and opinions regarding divine law versus human law. This theme seems to dominate and control the whole play. It is an issue of which law is the "right" law, and if Creon's and Antigone's acts were justifiable.

At the end of the play Sophocles leaves us in no doubt that Antigone’s stance is vindicated: Creon blames himself for all the tragedies surrounding him, mainly because he believes that even though they did not die directly by his own hand that they died at his hands because of his wrong doings towards the dead and "the unwritten, unalterable laws of heaven.".

The concept of divine law can be described as the law of god. Divine law involves morals and beliefs that are presented by god. This can be described as being the "unwritten unalterable laws of the gods" (This type of law is most likely in effect when an ethical content is apparent, such as when a moral decision must be made. This type of decision would probably be viewed

in bald terms - right or wrong. Divine law is apparent not only in decisions, but also in the everyday actions of mortals.

Things that are morally "right" are in accordance with the laws of the gods, while things that are morally wrong tend to be the actions that go against these laws. Divine law may not apply to those who do not believe in god. Even those who do believe in god may not follow this type of law because they do not think that this law will have any type of impact upon their lives. Most people are very sceptical about whether or not the laws of god are truly being upheld.

Human law is the type of law that is set up to govern the land and the community. As it is stated on the internet site, Encyclopedia.com, human law can be characterised as "rules of conduct of organised society, enforced by threat of punishment. Human law is usually set up by the head of a community or by the governors of the land. Officers or guards make sure that the law of the land is followed accordingly. There are people in communities that do not follow the laws that are put into effect by humans.". This is apparent in the play: Antigone herself disobeys a law that was set up by King Creon, a law that went against the beliefs she held towards the law of the gods.

The issues between Antigone and Creon create the true passion of the tragedy of the piece. Segal said that, "The characters, like the play itself, have many levels, which fuse organically, sometimes indistinguishably, into a complex unity; and here the confrontations of the two protagonists create an ever-ramifying interplay between interlocking and expanding issues.". The issues that these characters share are what ties the play together and also links their characters closely together.

Both Antigone and Creon have their own ideas of what is "right" and "wrong". This is to say that we should not make assumptions about whether or not something is right or wrong, unless the answer to that is apparent and clear. Antigone believed that the actions she took were taken for the right reasons. Creon believes that the actions he had taken were in fact the right ones because he believed that Polynices was a traitor to his land and that anyone who should try to give him a decent burial, which he did not deserve in Creon's opinion, should be killed as Antigone states at the start of the play, "This is no idle threat, the punishment for disobedience is death by stoning". So, the actions that were taken by both of them individually were the right ones, in their own minds at least.

Antigone, in her plan to give her brother Polynices a proper burial, kept in mind the consequences that she would suffer for having followed her heart rather than the laws of the states. Antigone quite clearly admits that she knows that she should die, that she has bluntly gone against the king, "I admit it, I do not deny it.". This does not mean however that Antigone would not obey the human laws that Creon proclaims, it is just that this particular law conflicts with the laws of the gods, Antigone's true calling. Antigone commits the crime because it is morally and ethically correct to do so and this is why she stakes her life based upon her strong beliefs. "She chooses the divine command over the human compulsion and rejects life with its compromises for the absolutes of death. Indeed, in her terms these absolutes are, paradoxically, just the things that live always" (Segal). To Antigone, divine law is of more importance than human law. She bases her conduct on following the law set out by tradition, by the immortals. To Antigone there is nothing more important than what she claims to be morally clean and just. Antigone meant well when she buried her brother, however when

reviewing the consequences of her actions one must think that perhaps she should have let the gods vindicate their own laws. This is not to say however that Creon ignores the gods. He says, "Blasphemy to think that the gods would give thought to carrion flesh!", but he does not feel that the gods run his kingdom on a day to day basis and he does feel that only he is capable of doing that after the turmoil of the later reign of Oedipus and the war. He honours the laws of the land but does not acknowledge the laws of the gods who swore him into that position. This also stresses his constant hypocrisy. Creon courted his own ruin, and so, to a certain extent, he is responsible for his downfall.

By the end of the play Antigone is exonerated for her crime, but not so much the actual action in my opinion as the her defiance of Creon. Even though she had been excused for her actions she still lost her own life and the lives of those most dear to her. This is one of the reasons why the play Antigone has been referred to as one of the most influential tragedies ever written. It is truly tragic because both protagonists are "too rashly daring" and obstinate to be tolerant of other views. Sometimes it is not feasible to obey and follow both sets of these laws, unwritten or not. Conflicts in a person's soul can tear them towards or away from either of these two sets of laws.

There is not much "right" on the side of Creon during the play. Creon seemed to be content with his actions, though morally unacceptable in the area of divine law. The only thing Creon had done was to set up a law in his community. Even though the law was broken by Antigone, Creon was very narrow- minded with his decision to sentence her to death. He could have tried to better understand her motives but instead he acts obstinately. There is no question, then, as to the theory; Antigone's view of the matter is the more correct. Creon's view of it is wrong. Creon offends the concept of human decency itself, he completely violates a recognised fitness. Sophocles was trying to make the readers think that way also, by coming to the conclusion that what Antigone did was right and what Creon did was wrong, according to the laws of the immortals.

Towards the end of the play a blind prophet named Teiresias comes to Creon to make clear to him his wrong doings. Teiresias told Creon that his actions would result in a terrible outcome for him. He says that Creon will end up paying for his actions. Creon finally ends up attempting to reverse what he has done, he tries to redeem himself in the eyes of the gods. He realises that he has been foolish to risk so much for selfishness and pride. Finally there comes an end to his misogynist, inflexible and hypocritical rules and he decides to undo all the wrong that he has done by quickly building a tomb for the body of Polynices and also by freeing Antigone from the vault where she was taken to die. He went first to Polynices and then went to Antigone. The tragedy being that when he finally gets to Antigone it is too late. Antigone's dead body is accompanied by Creon's son Haemon. Eurydice, Creon's wife, on hearing the news then takes her own life making the tragedy even more personal to the tragic hero in that both of his sons are dead, one in the war and Haemon, and that his wife is also dead, all for his unwillingness to heed advice. At the end of the play Creon is alone and has lost everything. He says, "I am nothing.". I feel that this parting sentiment of his is what makes his tragedy truly sympathetic to the audience.

In conclusion, it seems that Antigone's side of this whole conflict was more right than wrong. "That order did not come from god! Justice that dwells with the gods below knows no such

order" (Antigone). She follows her heart and does what she feels his true and just. However, there should have been a point where both sides, divine and human law, should have been looked upon with an open mind. I believe that we must regard Antigone's divine laws highly however, I also believe that the laws set by men should be acknowledged and obeyed, with obvious unjustifiable exceptions such as Creon's proclamation in this play. If divine

and human law were put into the scales of importance it is, as I see it, divine law that would be the most important as it governs human law no matter what their positions in society Antigone was right to bury Polynices and Creon was wrong from the point of proclamation of his law. It is immoral, unjust and against the Greek law of the time in which a traitor could be given a proper burial as long as he was buried outside of the city walls of his birth place.

Position of Women in Society

In Antigone, (especially with the feminist movement now holding the title character as prototypical downtrodden woman!), the king Creon is often vilified. While accepting the fact that Creon has misogynist tendencies, the gender issues can cause the pure argument of validity of actions to fall by the wayside. So supposing for a moment that Antigone's rebellion had been undertaken by a male, would Creon's choices have been different? Did he choose such harsh punishment and intractable course because Antigone was a woman or did he choose this course because as her uncle he was offended and hurt?

The play clearly shows what Creon perceives as "The proper place for women". When he finds out that it is a woman that has buried the body of Polynices he is even more intimidated than he would have been had a man buried him and I also feel that there are levels of embarrassment there as well. I feel that a possible explanation for this is Creon himself and the way that he treats women. In Greek society of the time women took a completely secondary role. Creon's wife, Eurydice, appears once in the play. Even this shows her lack of true importance to his life and society in general. Creon does not mention her at all during the play, which completely contrasts to the importance of the role of Jocasta in Oedipus, a very influential woman. Creon says to Haemon, "Do not be fooled my son by lust and the wiles of a woman.". He is genuinely intimidated and almost frightened about women and how he would look if it were they that undermined him. Creon suspects that it is rebels who are against him that have so grossly gone against his word. This paranoia echoes the paranoia of Oedipus in Oedipus Rex where he states that he must find the killer of Laius (ironically himself) in case "he might think to turn his hand against me". When Creon finds that the ‘criminal’ is his niece, a woman, he cannot process it at first. He questions her and clearly expects her to deny it. When she openly admits the crime he is told by the chorus that she makes some fair points in her argument and could possibly be protected by the gods. Angered, Creon says, "We'll have no woman's law here.". He is a firm believer in a male dominated society and has an argument riddled with flaws, "Therefore, I hold the law and will never betray it, least of all not for a woman.". This shows how truly confused and hypocritical his arguments are. This leads the audience to question whether or not he would betray it then for a man, if so, why when he claims to be such a strict and dedicated ruler?

Ismene shows how women were "put in their proper place" when she tells Antigone, "We are women, it is not for us to fight against men." Ismene, though acting as a Greek woman should and motivated by realism, does not have the inner strength shown through the character of

Antigone. Antigone shows masculine strength and confidence in her will to carry out her task. She has a strong attitude that shows how desperate she is to complete her ambition, the peace and burial of her brother's body. I feel that she defies all of Creon's definitions of what a woman is, where they should be, what they should do or how they should act and be treated. Antigone's argument finally works and Creon decides to free her and bury the body of her brother, It is only because Creon arrives at her cave too late that her will has not been entirely carried out. So, in fact, Creon takes his orders from a woman and tries his hardest to carry them out, his tragedy is that he waits too long to heed the woman's advice. Creon is the character that cannot later remedy his fatal and tragic mistakes. If he had listened to either his son or Antigone the dead would have been properly tended to, neither Haemon nor Eurydice would have died and Creon would not be left as "nothing", as he calls himself, at the end of the play. This play, through Antigone’s martyrdom and Creon’s weakness and ultimate demise, clearly displays the strength of the female character and represents a brave stand by Sophocles against the status quo of fifth century Athenian society and its rules and standards.